Thicker Than Water
by The Samurai Prince
Summary: Stranded. Isolated. Afraid. Danny and his friends, as well as some of the A-listers, are stuck somewhere on an island in the Bermuda Triangle...and something is there with them. Will they be able to survive? (Danny and the gang are 17-18 years-old in this.) No PP.
1. Arriving

**So, funny story, this was going to be a haunted hospital type story, but after hearing out some people in a DP Discord chat, I decided to change that premise because of the subject matter. XP Then this new idea came along! Hope you all like it! :)**

**But yeah, I made a new story yet again, so...wish me luck. XO Just know that I'm only doing this first chapter. I got other stories to make and I don't want to neglect them or anything. ^^;**

**Danny Phantom and its characters are owned by Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. I just own this DP horror story. ;)**

* * *

"_We're all mad here..."_

**o**

_**THICKER THAN WATER**_

**o**

* * *

_**June 2008**_

* * *

Well...here he is. In the Bahamas...where he survived the death-trap of an economy flown airplane piloted by one of his dad's close "ghost-hunting" friends.

Now he's on the archipelago island states named _Eleuthera_ and away from the island where all the resorts are located. He wished he could be there right now, or heck, even go to the island where the city of Nassau is. He would rather go there at this point to absorb the Caribbean culture, but _nope_...

Granted, the island he's on is actually beautiful...but the reason for going onto this _exotic_ _summer vacation_ _trip_ was to check out the Bermuda Triangle. Something about it having some otherworldly ghost-like activity. And for his dad and mom, _that's _pure Paradise right there...

Well, no offense to his parents, but apparently they never had any fun summer vacations when they were younger.

Either way, one of his dad's friends has a home on this island, which he flew them there from Indiana to their destination. For four, close to _five_, hours straight. Meaning no stops or anything.

Danny _had_ to bring someone along so he wouldn't go mad from boredom and anxiety over the whole flight.

And Jazz couldn't come because of summer classes at her college, which sounds just like her, but he couldn't help but think that she somehow predicted this.

So he brought the next best person/victim to come along with him.

"Man, talk about cramped!" Tucker said as he arched and stretched his back once he exited the small plane, his luggage out beside him, "But hey, we're finally here! The Bahamas, _mon_!"

"Please don't say it like that, Tucker," Danny said in a monotone as he got out of the plane with his luggage out as well.

"Ah, come on dude, lighten up! We're finally in the Bahamas!" Tucker reminded his best pal with a grin, "I mean, yeah, so the plane ride was a little long-"

"-and bumpy."

"...Yes, it was. But now we're here, smack dab in the middle of the Caribbean! We can chill and relax now!"

Danny sighed tiredly, "Yeah...I'm glad we made it in one piece, at least."

"Ah, come on, Danny, it wasn't that bad."

"Tuck, you basically looked out the window every three minutes to see if the wing of the plane and the engine were still intact."

"That was the first hour! I finally accepted that it wasn't going to fall apart after that."

"...Uh-huh. I remember you specifically saying, _'Hey Danny, would you like to talk about some stuff so we can get our mind off this death-trap?'_."

"...Okay, so I was still a little nervous," Tucker admitted with a mutter, "But hey, you were too, apparently! And after a while, we all got some good rest out of it."

"Yeah...I did at least have some well-deserved sleep after fighting Skulker last night, no matter how bumpy the flight was," Danny muttered, "The best two hours and a half sleep of my life."

"Man, even with us as seniors in high school, the ghosts back at Amity Park still can't give us a break," Tucker said with a shake of his head.

"Come on, boys!" called out Jack who was a little ways from the worn runway with his wife Maddie as they carried their luggage, "We got to get to our hotel! Skipper is gonna treat us for a nice good ol' Caribbean meal!"

"Coming, Dad!" Danny called out to him. He turned to Tucker and shrugged, "Well, like you said, we're in the Bahamas now. Maybe it won't be all ghostly activity and stuff."

"There ya go! Now come on, let's get chillax-ing!"

"...Did you just say chillax-ing?"

"Yeah...that's...that's hip, right?" Tucker asked in uncertainty with shifty eyes.

Danny gave him a dull stare with a raised brow. "Tuck, retiring your PDA is the first step. You still got more to go. Like your slang, for example."

Tucker frowned. "Hey, 'chillax' was a cool term for a while."

"Yeah, for a _while_," Danny corrected him with a smirk as he grabbed the handle of his carry-on luggage, "Come on, Tuck, let's get to the hotel. I'll tell you the recent up-to-date slang at our rooms."

Rolling his eyes, Tucker grabbed his carry-on luggage as well and said, "Sure thing, Snoop Dogg."

Danny chuckled at the quip and both seventeen-year-olds made their way to his parents, their luggage being pulled behind them.

* * *

Surrounded by grassy fields and palm trees, they entered the small airport terminal and rented a suburban for them to drive over to their hotel in the city of Governor's Harbour.

Once Jack's friend drops the Fentons and Tucker off to their hotel, they all entered and settled into their rooms, which Danny and Tucker both shared one.

"Man, it's a shame Sam couldn't come with us on this trip," Tucker said to Danny as he fished out his phone in his pocket.

Tucker's attire consists of a yellow short-sleeved shirt with the black blocky-font words of the classical video game name "Space Invaders", along with a pair of brown cargo shorts, sandals, and his pair of glasses, completing his summer look. The only thing that's not present on him is his signature hat, showing that his short hair is modeled into a buzz cut. He's also gotten a little taller and a little leaner.

Danny frowned at that fact as he sat on one of the comfy chairs in the room, "Yeah...and she's over at the island full of resorts. "

Danny was wearing a plain dark blue shirt, with a pair of denim blue jeans and his signature red sneakers. He's a little taller than Tucker, and his hair is still short and a little messy, but he has quite an impressive build, strong and lean from fighting ghosts underneath his baggy clothes.

"Paradise Island, right? Fitting," Tucker asked as he checked for messages on his phone, "Still, talk about convenient that Sam was going to the Bahamas as well for summer vacation."

"Yeah," Danny smirked, "Hope she didn't tell her parents about us being close by."

"Oh, you know she didn't," Tucker said with a smirk also.

Danny chuckled, "Well, I don't think the plane would have much room for all six of us anyways. Plus, I doubt it would be able to carry more luggage. Also, I don't think Sam's parents would appreciate the Fentons looking after her during the whole trip."

"Hey, I'm not a Fenton."

"And you and I are still guys, which makes her parents all the more paranoid," explained Danny.

Tucker blinked and blushed a little bit, "Hey man, I just view her as a good friend."

"As do I, Tuck," clarified Danny.

He sat there for a moment to think about their friend Sam. Of course, he felt bad for Sam having to go with her parents on their summer vacation, but he knew it wasn't his place to persuade her to go with them instead.

Maybe she needed to get away from him and Tucker for a while, to soak up in the...well, she doesn't like the sunlight too much, so maybe she can enjoy the activities there. Eat some local veggies and fruits there - yeah, the Caribbean is known for its fresh produce. She could have a good time without them.

"You know, Sam has gotten...prettier," said as he fiddled with his phone.

Danny looked up at Tucker with a raised eyebrow, "Uh...o...kay?"

Tucker looked up at him and shrugged, "Do you think so?"

Blinking at that, Danny asked, "Is...that like a trick question?"

Rolling his eyes, Tucker said, "If you want it to be."

"...Um, yeah, she's gotten...prettier..." Danny said with a little blush on his face as he awkwardly shifted, "I-I mean, she always has been. Plus, she's still, um, rocking that 'Goth' look..." he shook his head, "I-I'm sorry Tuck, is there like a...uh, reason for bringing this up?"

Tucker smirked, "If you want it to be," he repeated.

Danny just stared at him with a blink. His face changed into an unamused expression, "Tuck...we're just friends."

"Oh, but you still think she _rocks_ that 'Goth' look?" Tucker said with a raised brow.

"Well...yeah. I mean, I can call my gal pal _pretty_ every once in a while. Which, by the way, you said too," Danny pointed out.

"Hey, I'm just calling her pretty, that's all I'm saying," Tucker raised his hands up in defense, "Like I call Paulina and Valerie pretty, but I'm not interested in them."

"And what about Star?" Danny asked in a monotone.

"Star...is a goddess," Tucker said unashamedly.

"Uh-huh," Danny said dryly, "A goddess that, if I recall correctly, used you as a carrying case for her stuff and dumped you when she and Kwan got back together in our freshman year after that whole-" he cringed as he remembered, "...'Kitty getting Johnny jealous' fiasco."

The techie frowned, "Hey, I forgive Star for that. And we've been on good terms ever since she helped me with my algebra at the end of our freshman year."

"She still doesn't want to be technically seen with you, Tuck," Danny reminded him.

"That could mean she didn't want Kwan to see me go near her. I mean, the guy is stuck to her twenty-four-seven," Tucker reasoned.

"Well, Kwan actually has been pretty chill lately whenever sophomore year came," Danny said, "He's being a lot nicer than Dash for one thing."

"Well, yeah, but maybe he has an ugly side when it comes to being overprotective of Star?"

Danny rolled his eyes, "Tuck, I doubt Kwan would even hurt a fly. And even though Dash's gang cooled down during those years, it hasn't changed their views on us being the bottom of their school food chain. I mean, yeah, sure, things have cooled down during the last three years at our high school, but it's still mentally the same."

"What about Valerie?" Tucker asked him with a raised brow.

"Well...Val's different," Danny said with a hesitant hand rubbing behind his neck, "She kind of has that...I think _special _treatment with the A-listers. Like she's been there with our status before, but she still has friends like Star and maybe even Paulina." he frowned, "Man...Val's kind of having it rough through these past years."

"Hey, her dad's working his way back up from what she told us. He's been working at that security company since the end of our junior year, so I think they're doing well financially on supporting themselves. I mean, that's what I've heard," Tucker reminded.

"Yeah...I just hope she still doesn't hate Phantom for basically ruining her life," Danny muttered soberly.

Tucker looked at his friend with a frown laced with pity, "Hey, she's been acting really civil with Phantom lately. Ever since you and she saved Dani from being destabilized, as well as from Vlad, she hasn't been attacking you lately."

"True...but I still think she resents what...well, what _I _did, honestly," Danny said as he looked down with a somber frown.

Tucker looked at his best friend in interest, "Do you still like Val in...that way?"

Danny glanced up at Tucker, a puzzled expression displayed on his face, "Huh?"

"I mean, I'm just wondering," Tucker said with his hands raised up in defense again.

"...Well...I mean...I kind of feel the same way for her that I do for Sam," Danny admitted.

"Really?" Tucker asked wide-eyed in surprise, "How so?"

"Well, for one thing, I used to date both Val and Sam, with the former being in my freshman year, while the latter being in my sophomore. The second would be that each of them...basically decided to break up with me," Danny looked downtrodden at that, "I mean, I get why they did, even on Sam's part."

"You do?" Tucker asked curiously.

"Well, yeah. I mean, Sam and I only dated for five months, but with school and more ghosts coming at me, we had to break it off. She was getting kind of frustrated that I wasn't spending that much time with her. Although she understood my reasons, but..." Danny sighed, "...we just decided to go back as friends."

Tucker stood there in silence for a moment, until he spoke, "I really am sorry it didn't work out between you and Sam, dude."

"Hey, no worries," Danny said, waving it off, "Maybe down the road, I will find love again someday..." he frowned, "Man, sometimes being a superhero sucks."

"That seems like the statement of the century for you," Tucker mildly joked.

"Hm..." Danny then decided to change topics, "So, uh, Tuck, have you decided where you might want to go to college?"

Tucker noticed this and heed his friend's wishes, "Well, I might go to Stanford."

"Awesome. I may go to the University of Colorado because it has a great astronomy and astrophysics department."

"Still shooting for that dream to be an astronaut, huh?" Tucker smirked.

"Yep," Danny smirked back. His smirk dropped when he thought of something, "...I got to tell them someday."

"Tell who?"

"My folks."

"...About which college you're going to?"

Danny chuckled, "No, Tuck, about..." his expression turned a little uncertain, "...well, you know..."

Tucker blinked in confusion for a second until his eyes widened as he caught on, "Oh! Oh yeah, that...well, yeah, if you're going to college soon. I would think your parents are okay with Phantom now after all these years."

Looking downward, Danny muttered, "Yeah..." he sighed, "Either way, I'll wait and see."

And with that, the two young men got their stuff out and waited for Danny's parents to get ready, so they can all go out to eat dinner with Jack's old friend, who fittingly enough, as said before by Jack, was named 'Skipper'.

As they all gathered at a table in an outdoor restaurant, Danny learned that Skipper used to be an ordinary marine-biologist at a time, but then he became a _ghost _marine-biologist after seeing some "unexplained" things during his time on the east side of the island. Most would think that a ghost marine-biologist was an absurd profession, but to him, and as well as Danny's parents, it makes the most sense since rubbing two sticks to cause friction.

Either way, as mentioned before, Skipper has a home in the Bahamas, so he had to be doing something right to have one there. He started researching the area he was in to find these strange happenings, and since they were in the vicinity of the Bermuda Triangle, it only fascinated him more. He'd said he saw things, weird things that were going on at the sea, such as ghost ships, which sold Jack and Maddie on going over there. The former wanted to see if there were actual ghost ships at sea, while the latter wanted to explore the paranormal scientific aspects of the Triangle.

Ever since then, his study has started to drastically change, so much, that his peers kind of distanced themselves away from him. Thankfully though, he's not as weird as his parents when it comes to studying the triangle, although he does have some theories about it. He was also a cool guy too, a little goofy like his dad, Jack.

With all that said, with Danny now being here, he supposes he can make the best out of this vacation. Sure, he might have to go on this 'expedition' for the Bermuda Triangle, but he thinks he can chill out and relax for a bit. He can look out his window to see the beautiful ocean, walk on the pink sandy beaches, probably do some exploring and soak up the island culture, and hopefully meet some Caribbean cuties.

No ghosts, no dangers, just peace and relaxation...yeah, he can roll with that.

* * *

Sam is not relaxed.

No, she's _very _annoyed at her parents right now.

Thankfully, she has her own room, which, ironically enough, was paid by her parents, to stomp around in. Not to mention she can yell right into her own pillow in frustration whenever she gets angry about it again.

While going to the Bahamas with her parents was _kind of _bearable in a way, she would think that going on a vacation would be a good thing for her. Sure, it's in the middle of summer and there will be lots of sun where she's at, but she likes to indulge in the culture and see the sights at least. Plus, there's plenty of things to do in the hotel they're staying in.

But really, for her parents(her mother specifically, since it was her idea) to set up a...vacation play-date? She didn't know if there was a word for it. Either way, for them to _call _some A-lister's parents and invite them to the Bahamas, along with bringing their A-listed kids with them, all the while her parents _paying _for each of their trips(she didn't even think they were _that_ loaded), _just_ to let their kids hang out with her, was...

She was going to be honest, it was straight-up _diabolical_.

And to think, she thought her parents were starting to act somewhat 'cool' now...

They told this to her after dinner on their first day in the Bahamas, which in their own words said they invited some 'company', and this company will be bringing their kids along with them later on tonight for them to have some 'fun' tomorrow afternoon. To Sam, that only made her realize one thing: This whole trip was a set-up for her to make 'new friends'.

She didn't want to make a scene, so she just went to her room and unleashed her anger there.

_'I should've fricken' known,' _Sam thought in aggravation as she lifted her face up to rest her chin on her pillow. _'Now I really wished I could've gone with Danny and Tucker. Anything would be better than _this.'

She was in a nice five-star resort, with her very own room, and not even the peace and solace can make happy.

_'This really completely sucks...' _Sam turned over on her back, laid the back of her head on the pillow, and looked up at the ceiling. She decided to let her dark hair grow out below her shoulders as time went by, just cause she needed a new change in hairstyle.

She's still keeping the goth look, having dark eye mascara applied on her eyes, dark shade of purple lipstick on, and all-black colors, such as her black short-sleeved shirt that has the purple Nine Inch Nails band logo on it, a pair of black shorts, and with some black and purple striped stockings, which her signature combat boots were off. Other accessories were with round metal-studded wrist-bands on each wrist, a silver nose stud on her nose, and two black stud piercings on her earlobes.

Sam groaned, "Let the misery begin," she whined out, "...in about nineteen hours, I wound think."

Laying on her bed, Sam turned her head to see her iPhone on the nightstand. She turned on her side and reached for the device to check the time on her phone.

_6:45 PM_

She growled at the time being presented to her. Sighing, she muttered, "Correction, in about nineteen hours and a _measly _fifteen minutes, my misery will begin," laying the phone on her stomach, she rubbed her temples to calm herself, "Wow, I'm keeping track of my own suffering," she blew out another sigh, "Maybe I should've just kept eating dinner with my parents..." she gave out a monotonous glare as she thought about what she said, "...I could, but then I would've let my mom discuss with me what outfit to put on that's _undoubtedly_ something _pink_, just to make a _good impression_."

...Sam really hates her life right now.

_'Damn it...why do these sort of things happen to only me?' _she thought bitterly.

...Actually, her grandmother didn't come with them, which should've been a red flag in itself.

"...Uuuugh..." Sam groaned as she laid there on her bed. She looked down at her phone that was still on her stomach, thinking that she could maybe text Danny and Tucker...

_'I mean, yeah, I might as well. Just so I can keep my sanity.' _

Picking up her phone and sitting up on her bed, she leaned against the headboard as she made a joined chat and began texting both Tucker and Danny...

She paused in her texting when she briefly thought about the latter.

Sam expressed a crestfallen frown, "...It was for the best," she said to herself whenever the memory comes up in her mind.

...Although, she wished things were different.

Sure, they're still friends, and that's all that matters, but...

…Rubbing one of her temples on her head, she blew out a sigh.

_'Man, my life really does suck right now...I wonder if Danny ever thought about our...' _she grunted, shaking her head a little bit to clear her mind as she continued to text her friends.

_Sam: Hey guys. Did you two land on the island you're staying at?_

She waited on their replies...

_Danny: Hey Sam! Yeah, we've landed about an hour and a half ago._

_Tucker: What's up, Sam? Yeah, what Danny said. Man, I can't help but love these new smartphones! This thing is like my new best friend now!_

Sam rolled her eyes at Tucker's comment.

_Sam: Wow, glad to see you're over your PDA so soon, Tuck._

_Tucker: Hey now, I will forever cherish the memories I had with my PDA. I'm not throwing it away after all the good times we had together. But man, this thing has it all! I can listen to my music, link it to my email account, go online with it, calculate numbers on it, play games, anything! It even has a flashlight installed!_

_Sam: Yeah, and don't forget, its real purpose is to talk to people from far away. That's like, SO, amazing._

_Tucker: I know, right!?_

_Danny: Tuck, I think she was being sarcastic that time...right Sam?_

_Sam: Ha. You know me too well, Danny. ;)_

_Tucker: Heeeey... :(_

_Danny: LOL. But yeah, these things are legit. Anyways, how's the vacation so far, Sam? We've just eaten dinner and we're back in our rooms. How's the resort?_

_Sam: Oh, the resort is nice. The vacation..._

_Danny: Uh-oh._

_Tucker: Something happened with your parents?_

_Sam: Well, they mostly started it...ugh, actually, this whole 'vacation' was all just a ploy for me to have some 'new' friends. _

_Danny: Oooh. Oof, sorry to hear that, Sam._

_Tucker: Huh. Well, that doesn't sound so bad...right?_

_Sam: Tuck, do you know my parents?_

_Tucker: ...Well, kind of._

_Sam: Then you do know that they're trying to let me make new 'friends' so that I can forget about you guys, right?_

_Tucker: ...Oh. Well, hey, your grandma's there! She's cool._

_Sam: Tuck, she hasn't even been invited._

_Tuck: …Damn. That's diabolical. D:_

_Sam: YES, I know, right?!_

_Danny: Aw man, Sam...I wish we can do something about it._

_Sam: Ugh, I don't know...I'm supposed to meet them tomorrow._

_Danny: Well, hey...just try to survive it. I mean, you've survived worse, obviously. You haven't forgotten about our ghost adventures, have ya?_

_Sam: Heh, of course not. In fact, I would rather welcome that at this point._

_Danny: Careful what you wish for. ;)_

_Tucker: Yeah, I really don't want any ghosts coming over here while on vacation. X(_

_Sam: Well, still...actually, you guys will come to my rescue if I get like...excruciatingly bored, right?_

_Danny: Of course, Sam. Give us a text and we'll be there. :)_

_Tucker: Yeah, no problem! Danny and I will fly over there if you ever need us! ...Well, Danny will carry me as he flies, but you know. X)_

_Danny: e_e_

_Sam: LOL! Thanks guys...I needed this._

_Danny: Hey, anytime, Sam._

_Tucker: Yeah!_

Sam smiled at the messages from her two best guy friends. She continued to text them, asking how their trip is going, and kept texting them throughout the night. For now, she'll enjoy this moment of peace.

That is until her parents come back to give her a 'talk' about their upcoming outing with their 'friends'.

* * *

Valerie and Star sat in their backseats as Star's parents drive the rental car at sundown over the bridge that leads to Paradise Island and to their resort. Star was sitting on the left side of the backseat, with Val on the right side. The former was looking out the window, certainly mesmerized by the blue waters of the Caribbean while they crossed the bridge, while the latter was reading a book during the drive.

As she was staring out the window, Star said to Val, "Wow, check this out, Val! The waters are like, so pretty out here!"

Star was wearing a short-sleeved pink blouse and white jeans, along with brown sandals with white flowers on them. Her blonde hair was the same length and she still has her little orange flower arrangement on her hair.

Looking up from her book, which was titled _"Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island_", Valerie glanced out the window with a smile, "Yeah. It looks really nice out there. It's just like those travel shows on television."

Valerie was wearing an orange short-sleeved shirt with white font words written across on it saying "Florida", a pair of blue denim shorts, and gray-white Adidas shoes. She has her signature orange hairband on top of her head as well, her hair still shoulder-length, wavy, and pristine.

Star glanced at her peculiarly, "You still reading that book?"

Val glanced back at Star a little sheepishly, "Oh, uh, yeah, sorry. It's just so intriguing how someone would think up these great tales during the eighteen-hundreds! This book is like a crossover sequel to _'Twenty Leagues Under the Sea'_ and I have to pick up the next one. The author _Jules Verne_ has like his own universe going on in these books."

Star blinked for a bit, and smirked, "Wow, you're turning into the bookworm."

Val rolled her eyes, "I just like the classics, alright?"

"Sure, sure," Star waved her hand nonchalantly but smiled. "Still, come on Val, you need to _really_ relax on this trip!"

"But I am," answered a confused Valerie, "I'm reading my book in relaxation."

"Yeah, but, don't you want to _really _relax, like lay on the beach, relax by the pool, take a stroll around town, all of that? I invited you so you can get away from all the stress you have lately."

Val smiled, "And really, thank you for that, Star. Don't worry, we'll do some gal time when we get to the hotel."

"I'll hold you to that," Star said with a smile also. She then looked a little uneasy, "By the way...how's your dad doing?"

"Oh, well...he's liking his job for one thing. He's working his way up to make the best security system possible...even though he tries to pitch in the supernatural aspects of his blueprints," Val winced.

Star winced as well, "How's that going?"

"Well...it's a relatively new company that moved to Amity Park, so...they haven't really quite seen too many ghost attacks when they were there...Dad's kind of afraid to pitch it too soon."

"Hm...well, I can say one thing, the _Red Huntress _and Phantom are doing really well on eliminating any ghost threats," Star told her.

Val looked a little shy, yet frowned at that, "Yeah..._Red Huntress _is doing her best...as for Phantom, he's doing pretty good as well...I guess."

"...Do Red Huntress and Phantom ever work together at times?" Star asked out of curiosity.

Valerie was silent for a second until she said, "Sometimes..."

Star looked at Val in worry a bit, "...Well..." she glanced at her parents, which her father was talking on his Bluetooth phone, and her mother on her smartphone. She turned back at Valerie and talked quietly to her, "If you want my opinion, I think Phantom _really _is trying to bury the hatchet with you for...unintentionally ruining your life."

"...I know. It's just...it's kind of awkward now," Valerie said as she looked out the window.

Star looked at her oddly, "Awkward...in a good or bad way?"

"...Both." Val admitted.

"Both?" Star inquired.

"Yeah...it's like...I'm still a little sore at him for...you know, _that_, but...it kind of worked well in the long run, you know?" Val tried to explain.

"Like, you're saying that you wouldn't have it any other way?" Star asked.

"...Yeah. I mean, if he hadn't caused that incident, then I wouldn't have been able to see how some people in our school are. Like Paulina for example. She's...well, no offense, kind of shallow."

"Oh, don't worry, I take no offense."

"Good. And Dash is...kind of...no, he's pretty much a jerk."

"Ugh, fact of the century. He got worse over time, too."

"Yeah. I mean, you and Kwan turned out really well for the A-list crowd."

"Well...we were kind of stupid back then at our freshman year," Star muttered.

"Yeah, I was too, honestly..." Val smirked a bit, "You made some friends with some of the 'unpopular' kids if I happen to recall."

"Oh, yeah," Star shrugged with a smile, "It's really funny, most of them are pretty cool, and I decided to just communicate with people like I do with my parents and you."

"That's a good first step."

"Yeah...really, I just kind of wanted a change, you know?"

"Totally understandable," Val said. Her smirk became wider, "You know, you've been a lot nicer to Tucker recently."

Star blinked, "Oh, well...I mean, yeah, he's...well, he's not that bad of a guy, honestly. He's pretty funny when you get to know him, actually."

"Hard to believe you actually let him carry your stuff that one time, huh?"

Star chuckled weakly, "Yeah..." she noticed Valerie was still looking at her with that same smirk, as well as raising an eyebrow knowingly at her, "...Oh come on, it's not like that!" Star told her, rolling her eyes, "I mean, sure, I'll admit, Tucker is kind of cute in that techie-nerd way, but I'm already in a relationship! I'm with Kwan, who is such a sweetheart to me."

"Hey, chill girl, I know you're taken. I'm just messing with you," Val said with her hands up in mock surrender with the same smirk on her face.

Star huffed and pouted in irritation. However, she smirked as well, "Okay then, what about you and Danny? Did you finally have everything 'figured' out?"

Now Valerie blinked, "Oh, um..." she winced thinking about her ex-boyfriend.

"I mean, you occasionally hang out with him and his friends, you talk to them at parties and whatnot, _and_ you seem to talk to Danny the most out of all of them," Star clarifies slyly, "I mean, I don't blame you now, honestly. Danny has been...well, pretty hunky lately."

"...Did you just call Danny _hunky_?"

"Yes. That I did. _Jealous_?" Star smirked knowingly.

Val groaned, "Look, Danny and I...have our _differences._ Sure, we dated one time, but...well, I mean..." she sighed in irritation, "Look, he's great guy, and I like him-"

"Then what's the problem?" Star asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The _problem _is that I have like-" she looked at Star's parents who are still occupied with their things, "...so much, uh...you know, _work _to do that I'm afraid that some_...people_ will find out and..." she huffed and then whispered loudly to Star, "You know what I mean!" she finished with an annoyed frown.

Star rolled her eyes again, "I do. And I still call bull on that."

"Hey!"

"Look, he probably might be good with a ghost gun or something. I mean, his parents are ghost hunting people, right?"

"Yeah, but..."

"And he used to date Sam one time during sophomore year, but they broke up for...whatever reason. So you still have a chance, don't you?"

Valerie sat there looking a little uneasy, finding a place in her book and bookmarking it as she closed it.

Star frowned, "Val, what's this really about?"

"...I'm just...kind of scared of losing him again. I mean, what if something...you know, bad happened to him and it would be my fault? Even if he can take care of himself, how long will it last? I don't...I just don't want another break-up again," Val said as she looked down at her shoes in melancholy.

The blonde looked at her friend with pity in her eyes, wishing there was something she can say to make her feel better.

After a while of sitting there, Star said to Valerie, "Look, Val, from all the times you talk to Danny, you seem to be happy. And from what I observed, Danny seems to be happy talking to you."

"So does he with Sam."

"Oh forget Sam for a second! Listen Val, bottom line is, I feel like there's still something there between you two. You got to at least explore what could've been. And if Danny somehow wants to break-up with you again because of _you-know-what_, then that's his loss! But I'm telling you, there _is _something there between you and Danny."

Valerie still sat there for a while trying to think about it.

"Val, do you think he's hunky?"

Val looked at Star with shocked wide eyes, "What?"

"You heard me," Star said with a smirk.

"...I would say he's...handsome, really," Valerie said as she rubbed her right arm with her left hand shyly.

"Then you still like him," Star said nonchalantly with a shrug. She then looked forward, "Oh hey, we're arriving at our hotel!"

As soon as the car drove up to the driveway of the resort, Star told Valerie with a smile, "Just try to give him another chance, okay Val? Now come on, we need to gather our luggage," she then opened the car door and got out of her seat.

Valerie sat there for a second until she too opened her car door and got out of her seat, carrying her book with her.

As soon as she, Star, and Star's parents got their stuff on the bellhop carrier, Valerie thought about what her friend said.

_'...I should really talk to Danny about this...' _Val then looked around her surroundings, _'Hm...in the meantime, it looks like the Caribbean is calling me,' _she thought with a slight smile.

And with that, Valerie and Star prepare themselves for their vacation in the Bahamas.

* * *

…

…

…

...It feels something.

...What is it?

...It _**feels**__...delicious._

It senses this_...__**delicacy**_ far away.

Away from here...its dwelling place.

What could it _**be**__?_

...It _has_ to **know**.

Not tonight...maybe tomorrow...

Hopefully, this _**rarity**_ will be close to the water...to the _**sea**__._

Then when this _**anomaly**_ arrives in its domain...it will play with that mortal, until he becomes _**mad**__._

And if there are others...well...madness _**loves**_ company...

It simply _**cannot**_ wait.

**Ooooh, how _fun_ and _delicious_! _He-he-he-he-heeee..._**

* * *

**Before you say anything, NO, it's not Cthulhu...but it's close! XP**

**Two things to say:**

**1\. Yes, SOME of the A-list kids are not as total jerks as they were in the series. I would think time would soften them into pretty decent people(well, maybe except Dash and Paulina). Tell me what you all think about this! :O**

**2\. Yes, I let Star know of Valerie's ghost-hunting alias, The Red Huntress. I would think Val would tell Star, who probably might be her closest friend in school, about her alias in their junior year and Star would faithfully keep that a secret. ****As for Star's behavior, well, like I said, time can change some people.**

**But yeah, what do you all think so far? Does it interest you? I hope it does! If it does, give me a review and tell me what you think! Or fave and follow it! Either one is great! :D**

**Thank you all for reading the first chapter! I hope you'll all stick around! Until then, keep on rocking everybody! ^_^**

**-TSP**


	2. Calling

**[EDITED: 3/30/2020]**

* * *

"Hm...that's a really cute top." murmured a 17-year-old Hispanic girl. She sat crossed legged on one of the chairs in the lobby lounge area, reading a _Glamour _magazine.

She was wearing brown sandals, along with denim shorts, and a dark magenta-pink t-shirt with the word _'Princess' _on it. Her dark hair was down and wavy, and looked to had applied some makeup on her face, along with some lip gloss on her slightly full lips.

The young woman read through the fashion article and went to the celebrity news section.

She curled her lips in disgust, _"_Ugh...to this very day, I don't know _why_ _**Twilight **_has been made into a movie," she skipped that page and read another article.

"Paulina, sweetheart?" said the voice of the girl's father.

Paulina Sanchez broke out of her reading trance to look up at her father, who was standing next to her with a smile on his face.

"We've checked in and we're ready to go to our rooms," Mr. Sanchez told her.

Paulina smiled, "Okay, Papa! But maybe you guys could go on without me? I like to explore the resort a little bit. I'll catch up to you and Mama in just a moment."

"Oh," Mr. Sanchez's smile went down for a moment, "Well, okay sweetheart. Just...uh, don't be out for too long."

The girl smiled reassuringly to her father, "Don't worry, Papa, I won't. I'm just checking this place out. It's really nice! Whoever Jeremy is, tell him 'thank you' for the trip!"

Mr. Sanchez smiled warmly at his daughter, "Sure thing, sweetheart," he then got the card-key for her room out and gave it to Paulina, "In the meantime, here's your key, sweetie. Your mother and I will be in our room. Just text us when you're at your room safe and sound."

Paulina rolled her eyes humorously at that last part and took the card-key from her father. "Papa, don't worry, I'll be _fine_. I'll just be in the resort's vicinity is all."

"I know, I just..." Mr. Sanchez looked a little uncertain until he took a deep sigh, "...Just be careful, okay, Paulina-Dear?"

"I will, Papa. No worries," Paulina said with a comforting smile.

Mr. Sanchez nodded with a smile and went to his waiting wife, leaving their daughter out in the lobby as Paulina looked at her magazine some more.

As she sat there, she was thinking about her father's concern.

_'I appreciate Papa looking out for me, but he needs to stop being so worried. I can take care of myself...' _Paulina frowned, _'...I mean, I can understand _why_, but...I just want to feel independent again...' _

Paulina's frown turned into a soft smile.

_'...Phantom really came through that day.'_

"Oh my gosh, Paulina!?"

Startled, Paulina looked up at the familiar voice that called her. Her eyes widened and as she exclaimed, "Star!?" she looked at the other girl next to Star, "Valerie!?"

Said girls blinked at the Hispanic girl, both dumbfounded as to see their(well, Star's anyway) friend here in the same resort as them.

"Uh...Paulina?" Valerie said in slight shock, "What are...what are you doing here?"

"Yeah! This is like...I'm not gonna lie, so _weird_ right now. You booked a vacation to go to the Bahamas as well?" Star asked Paulina flabbergasted.

"Uh...no. I mean, well, kind of. I mean..." Paulina shook her head to clear her thoughts, "What are you two doing here?"

"My folks and I were booked here on vacation by my dad's boss. I brought Val along because there was an extra plane ticket," Star raised a brow, "What made you and your family come here for vacation?"

"Well, my dad's friend basically booked this trip my parents and I are on as well," Paulina studied them a little curiously, "Did...your dad happened to say his boss's name?"

Star seemed to get where she was getting at. "I think it was...Jeremy?"

Paulina's eyes widened. "My dad's friend is named Jeremy too."

"Whoa, hold on a minute," Valerie interrupted, trying to make sense of this, "This sounds a _little_ too coincidental."

"Star?" said a teenage male's voice.

"Whoa, what are you gals doing here?" said another teenage male's voice.

All three girls turned their attention to the voices that spoke to them, revealing themselves as none other than...

"Kwan!?" Star said in shock.

Valerie raised a brow, "Dash?"

Sure enough, the two football jocks were walking up to them, both of them in their summer attire and each of them a little surprised.

Kwan was wearing some dark blue drawstring shorts with white tropical patterns on it, with an opened light blue shirt and a white undershirt underneath it, as well as wearing some brown sandals. He grew his dark-raven hair out to let it reach to his middle neck, and has bulked up in the past years, having a strong build.

Dash still has his blonde buzz-cut hairstyle and also has the same strong build, but he was wearing a red sleeveless O-neck gym tank-top with some brown shorts, along with black sandals.

The two boys looked at the girls in confusion. "Whoa. You girls are in the Bahamas as well?" asked Kwan.

Each of the girls glanced at each other, unsure what to make of this.

It was then Valerie spoke out, "Okay, scratch that. This is _way_ too much of a coincidence."

"What's going on here?" Star asked. She then turned to Kwan, "I mean, it's not like that I'm, well, _not_ happy you're here or anything, Kwan, but...what exactly are you and..._Dash_ doing here?" she said the blonde boy's name with a slight sneer.

Dash frowned as he sensed the obviously harsh undertone of how Star said his name. "Aw, come on, you're still not mad about me bringing beer over to your party that one time, are ya? That was like, a month ago! Let it go already!"

Star glared at him, "For one thing, I was grounded for a week when my parents found out that _someone _brought beer into my home. I even told everyone _not_ to bring alcohol, but _you_ did. The least you could do was _throw_ _away_ the beer cans, and I'm _not_ including my own trash bins! Secondly, that's not all that I'm upset about. You broke Catherine's heart in front of _everyone_ in school!"

"Hey, she had a weird laugh, okay? I couldn't handle it!" Dash defended himself with a scowl on his face. "And I threw away some cans!"

"Actually, you did. _You_ threw away _four _consumed cans of beer before getting drunk along with you and your buddies, _trashing_ my place," Star seethed.

"Hey, a party is a party," Dash grumbled, "Besides, what was I supposed to do over there? The party was about our graduation that was coming up, we all had to let loose."

"Well, the least you could do, is try to at least be _respectful _to the person who's _throwing the party!" _Star growled as she exclaimed.

"Whoa, Star, just hold a second," Kwan said gently as he intervened in the argument, "Okay, to answer your question, my folks and I were given some tickets by someone to go to the Bahamas. I just brought Dash along cause there was an extra ticket. Plus, I thought he needed the vacation."

"Was...this person named Jeremy?" Valerie asked, a little weird out by the possibility.

"Huh? No, it was someone named Pamela..." Kwan thought about it for a second, "...Although, my dad said he knows someone by the name of Jeremy. My mom also knows someone named Pamela as well."

"Wait a minute...Pamela...why does that name sound so familiar?" Paulina muttered to herself.

"Well, either way, somebody is giving your parents these tickets to the Bahamas," Valerie stated, "I'm just here because Star invited me."

"Pamela...wait, my mom talks about a Pamela!" Paulina realized.

"Whoa...are we, like...on some kind of reality TV show right now?" Kwan asked everyone, extremely puzzled.

"Hey, that would be kind of sweet," Dash smirked, as he flexed an arm, "Hope they get my good side."

"Dash, this is serious. I mean, this vacation is really nice and all, but something is going on her-" Then Valerie's words abruptly halted when she saw someone near the entrance to a little convenient shop in the resort close to their lobby.

The rest of the teens looked over to where Val was staring at...

Kwan, Star, and Valerie blinked, while Paulina, turning in her couch seat, saw who they were looking at. Her eyes widened, while Dash had a dumbfounded look on his face along with a raised brow.

"Sam!?" Valerie exclaimed in shock.

The goth girl apparently heard her name clearly, startling her as she jumped a little bit. Turning to the voice who called her, violet-purple eyes laid on the group that was gathered in the lobby. Her eyes widened as she froze there in place, mouth partly agape.

They stared at each other for a moment...

Sam blinked at them, as the gears were turning in her head.

_'...Oh...no. They **DIDN'T**.'_

"Uh..." Kwan said, "Um...hi Sam?" he said a little awkwardly.

Valerie shook her head to clear the shock, "Sam? You're here too?" Val began to walk up towards the goth girl.

"Wow," Star said, a little flabbergasted, "This Jeremy and Pamela even got the Manson's too."

Upon hearing that, Sam's judgment is now definitely confirmed, _'WHAT!?'_ she exclaimed inside her mind.

"Oh, _great_," Paulina said in irritation as she rolled her eyes, "Goth girl is here, too. Why would this Jeremy guy book a ticket for _her_ and her family here?"

"Tch, yeah. What next, _Fenturd_ and _Fouley_ here as well?" Dash remarked rudely.

"Hey, come on, guys, don't treat 'em like that. They're not bad," Kwan vindicated.

"Yeah. What are you living in, freshman year?" Star rolled her eyes specifically at Dash, who in turn glared at her. She turned to Paulina, "And come on, you're still not holding a grudge against Sam, are ya?"

Paulina frowned, "After what she did to me in your party? How can you say that!?"

"To be fair, we don't know who...well, did _that_ to you," Kwan said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you serious!? She basically told a _drunk Lester_ that I was into him and he tried to make out with me!" Paulina seethed, "He even smacked my ass, the perv!"

"You know, even though he's a nerd, I got to hand it to him, that was a bold move. He got some respect in my book," Dash remarked.

"_Still,_ you did basically threw some beer onto her face," reminded Star, "I wouldn't blame her really, that was uncool of you to do."

"You know, you're testing our friendship more and more every day, Star," Paulina droned.

"Come on, we're seniors now, haven't we put that part in our school lives behind us?" Kwan notified Dash and Paulina.

"Hey, to me, always a geek, stays a geek," Dash clarified.

"And to me...well, I have nothing against Danny and Tucker anymore," Paulina shrugged, "They're okay. As long as they don't hit on me. But _Sam_..." she glowered at the girl, who was talking to Val at that point, "...I just cannot _stand _her!"

"Why _is_ that?" asked Star in curiosity.

"Is it because she has a bigger chest than you or something?" Dash asked bluntly.

Paulina turned her head to scowl at him.

"Hey, she may be a geek, but I got to say, she's doing pretty good for herself with that veggie diet she's on."

"Uh..." Kwan raised a brow at his friend, "Dash? Buddy? That just sounded weird coming from your mouth."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dash asked in confusion.

"Um, Dash, you do realize that you basically admitted that you think Sam looks attractive, right?" Star made it known to the jock as she looked at him oddly.

Dash blinked. "Uh...all I said was that she looked like she was doing pretty good for herse-" he stopped and paused in his speech, "...Forget what I just said," the jock frowned as he crossed his arms indignantly.

Paulina just glared at Dash before she sighed and turned her attention to Star and Kwan, "It's because she...I don't know, she thinks she's better than me or something!"

Star and Kwan both blinked at that and glanced at each other looking a little bit puzzled. Star turned back her attention back to Paulina, "I don't know why you'd think that. You'd excelled in everything so far at school."

"Yeah, well, she seems to be good at everything else! I mean..." Paulina sighed, "Look, it's...it's complicated, okay? And believe it or not, it's not because of looks or anything, alright? It is what it is...it's complicated," Paulina crossed her arms in a huff, frowning as she looked down.

Kwan and Star still looked confused while Dash just simply shrugged.

* * *

"Sam? What are you doing here?" Valerie asked her as she walked up to her.

Sam basically stood there, her head reeling at this turn of events. She placed a hand on the side of her forehead and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, "No...they _didn't_."

Val blinked. "Did what? Who?"

"My-" Sam's words died on her as she opened her eyes and looked at Valerie. She briefly thought about keeping her secret hidden still, but really, what's there to keep at this point?

She tried _really_ hard on being the outcast and loner at school, hiding from the other kids to not know of her family status, so she wouldn't have to be _begged_ to join some stupid group that involved social status. She really did _try_ to hide this when her father inherited the company that her great-grandfather built(who knew a device for twirling cellophane on tips of toothpicks would be so profitable?) when she was twelve, seeing before how shallow some of the kids are when it came to wealth. At age thirteen, that's when she decided to go goth, so she can be different from the rest of the popular and wealthier crowd.

And now, at this very moment, the truth is coming out...and at the worst time too. She was trying to decide what university she liked to go to, she didn't _need_ this stress.

...Well, actually, she was thinking of going to Harvard either way, but she wanted to know if she would like to do bio-engineering or attend law school.

"Sam?" Valerie called out of her thoughts.

The goth blinked and looked at Valerie briefly, which the African-American girl looked at her in concern.

_'...Shit.'_

Sam placed both hands onto her face and groaned loudly into them. When she released her face, she took a deep calming breath and let out a sigh through her nose, all the while closing her eyes. Once she opened them, she let out a forced smile. "Valerie...hi."

Raising a brow, Valerie warily replied, "Uh...hi?"

"Yeah, um..." Sam thought of how to break it to her and everyone else that she was, in fact, rich. Valerie she doesn't technically have a problem with now; she would chat with her at times at school. But she didn't tell her about her family's wealth to begin with, unlike Danny, Tucker, and maybe even Jazz. She was gonna tell her sooner or later when the time was right, cause she feels like she trusts her now, especially since she, aka Red Huntress and Phantom, are kind of on good terms now. Still, how would she even react to her background?

_'Only one way to find out.'_

Sam sighed, "Okay, look, um...you, your friends, and your families got some flight tickets to the Bahamas from random people, right?"

Valerie's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-Yeah, how did you-"

"Those random people are my parents," Sam said without skipping a beat.

...Valerie's eyes widened even further, her mouth agape for a second until she closed it as she looked at Sam in shock.

"...Yeah..." Sam mumbled.

Struck by this bombshell of information, Val blinked and shook her head to clear it, "Wait, that...how can your parents...pay for Paulina's, Kwan's, and Star's vacation?"

Sam raised a brow, "You didn't get one? Neither did..._Dash_?" she cringed as she took a glance at him.

"Well, we were invited. There were extra tickets," Val explained.

"...Of course," muttered Sam bitterly, "They wouldn't want to spend _too _much money."

"W-Wait, Sam," Valerie was trying to grasp this, "Are you saying that...you and your family are-"

"Loaded, yes," Sam dully said.

Valerie's eyebrows shot up as her mouth was partly opened, _"...Whoa_..._"_ she looked back at her group and back at Sam, "Are...Are your parents named-"

"Jeremy and Pamela, yep," Sam nodded.

"...Holy _cow_," Valerie said in an impressed tone, "What...What does your family do?"

"...My great grandfather was the inventor of that thing that twirls the color cellophane on those toothpicks," Sam answered truthfully, kind of embarrassed.

"...For real?" Val raised a curious eyebrow.

"...Yeeeeee-ep," Sam said, feeling a little awkward as she rubbed the back of her neck, "You'd be surprised at how much profit my family gets from doing that."

"...Uh...okay then," Val blinked once more, "But wait...your family was rich the whole time, without even _us_ _knowing?"_

"My father inherited the business when I was twelve, so...the money came rolling in years later. I just...didn't want to be associated with the A-list crowd back then, after seeing how they treated everyone at our school, and...yeah, that's basically my reasoning there," Sam muttered as she explained.

"Oh..." Valerie nodded in understanding with a sympathetic frown, "Well..." she looked sheepish as she glanced at the ground, "I don't particularly blame you..." she looked up at Sam again, "Just to be clear, but back then, you would've gone and joined our group, but...you didn't?"

Sam raised a brow, "Uh, yeah, that's...basically what I just said."

"Yeah, I know, but it's just...wow...I find that pretty cool of ya," Val admitted.

Sam looked taken aback, "Really?"

"Well, yeah. You pretty much stayed true to yourself, and not be caught up with this stupid school popularity contest back then when we were in freshman year."

Feeling a little diffident from the praise, Sam shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck, "Well...I was just trying to be different than the A-listers, honestly."

"Still, you made the right call," Valerie complimented with a smile. She tilted her head a bit in curiosity though, "Does...Danny and Tucker know?"

"Oh, um, yeah, they know," Sam said awkwardly with a nod.

"Oh...so...you only tell this secret to people that are like...your close friends, or to people that you really trust...or something?" Val asked with a wince.

Frowning at the slight implication of what Valerie is saying, Sam felt a little shamefaced as she looked down at the floor, "Well...it's kind of a little bit of both, actually."

"...Oh," Val frowned, looking back down at the floor as well, "...Well, um, I wouldn't tell anyone at all about your status, if that's what you were thinking."

"Yeah, I...figured you wouldn't," Sam muttered. She slightly winced, "But, I think it's a _little _too late to keep this a secret now."

Val weakly laughed, "Uh...yeah..." she looked back behind the group behind her in the lobby, "...Well, y-you could've told me. I-I mean, you know, I, uh...thought that, well, since we both dated Danny that one time..."

Sam looked up at Valerie with interest.

"...and we talked about it during Star's party a month ago, so I thought...that we, you know, were...kind of friends?" Valerie finished sheepishly.

The goth girl blinked at that, "Oh, uh...well, um..." she winced, feeling like all kinds of awkward.

Sensing the uncomfortable tension between them, Valerie decided to just say, "Hey, no worries! I mean, I totally get it. I was jerk back then...but I really think we grew out of all that whole popularity nonsense. I mean, Star invited you to plenty of parties, including Tucker and Danny. And Kwan talks to you at times."

Sam gave out a small smile, "Yeah...they're okay now..." she then frowned, "Except for Dash and Paulina, though. Dash completely trashed Star's home at her last party she threw before graduation."

"Ugh, I was there. The least he could do was be respectful at her house and tone down his party antics," Val commented with a frown as well.

"And drink like, _one_ beer," Sam shook her head as she remembered that display of Dash's drunkenness at Star's party, "Oh, but that would be _too_ _responsible _of him_._"

"Heh, hoo-boy, yeah..." Valerie paused for a second and smirked at Sam, "I got to say though, what you did to Paulina was _hilarious._"

"Oh, you saw that?" Sam grinned cheekily.

"Oh totally! I guess that was the upside of Dash bringing beer, seeing a drunk Lester make advances at Paulina," Val snickered.

Sam chuckled lightly, "Yeah. I thought it was the perfect setup. Just told him that she was '_sooo_ into him', and it all worked out perfect from there."

Valerie giggled, "Yeah..." she then looked thoughtful, "Hmm...I think she went home after that."

"Tch, for once I don't blame her. Not after what happened to her," Sam said with a roll of her eyes with a smirk.

Valerie raised an eyebrow at the goth, "Actually...why _do_ you not like Paulina?"

Sam looked at Valerie like she grew a second head, "Is that a serious question?"

"Well...yeah," Val shrugged, "What made you hate her in the first place? It couldn't be during our freshman year in high school, could it? I mean, yeah, she was shallow, and she probably still is, but did you not like her still even in grade school?"

Sam stood there in silence for a bit and replied, "It's...kind of complicated..."

The African-American girl was going to ask why, until Star came up to them.

"Hey, uh, Sam, how are ya? Like, pretty weird seeing us all here and...stuff," Star said a little awkwardly, wincing a bit.

Sam just smirk, "Hey Star. Yeah, pretty strange, ain't it?"

Star smiled back, "Heh, yeah...were you sent by a Jeremy and Pamela by any chance?"

Sam and Valerie blinked at the question. The former's lips were tugging upward as she started to gradually snicker until she full-on chortled. Valerie couldn't contain herself as well, giggling up a fit.

Now Star blinked, looking totally confused. She then asked, "Um...I'm thinking that's a 'yes'?"

Sam eased her laughter a bit, "Uh, _yeah,_ I was sent here by a_ Jeremy _and _Pamela_. Against my own will, actually."

Star raised an intrigued eyebrow, "Huh? Really?" she then stood frozen as her eyebrows went up, "...Wait a second, 'against your own will'? You make it sound like-" she paused as she had a look of realization, "...wait...whoa, hold a second here," she put her finger to the sides of her head and closed her eyes to process the information given to her, "Are you saying...Jeremy and Pamela are, like...your...?" she opened her eyes, squinting at her, waiting for her answer.

The goth rolled her eyes, "Well, I _am _their daughter."

Star's eyes widened in absolute shock, "...Oh...my..." she straightened up, "...No way."

"Yeah way," Sam drolly said.

"...I...then...t-that means...I mean, your parents paying for _twelve _plane tickets to the Bahamas?" Star said in awe.

"Twelve? Then that would make fifteen, including us..." Sam mused. Upon realizing that, she blinked at the conclusion. "...Damn, my parents went all out." she turned to Val, "You said there were extra tickets to each family, right?"

"Well, yeah, just in case one us wanted to bring a friend. I came with Star, while Dash came with Kwan," Valerie explained.

"Ah, I see," Sam rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she muttered, "Yet they didn't invite Nana."

"Nana?" Val questioned.

"My grandmother."

"Ah, okay."

"Wait a moment!" Star halted them, "Th-That means you're rich, Sam!"

"What!?" exclaimed a shocked Paulina.

The three girls turned their attention towards the Latina girl who was close to the trio. Kwan and Dash were behind her and must've heard the whole thing as well, since they had dumbfounded looks on their faces. Paulina, on the other hand, has her mouth wide open at the revelation.

Sam flinched, "Aaaand everybody now knows."

Paulina closed her mouth and shook her head to clear away her shock, "_You're _rich!? Since when!?"

Sam sighed in frustration and muttered, "Oh well. It was fun while it lasted," she looked at Paulina, "My family was _always rich,_ Paulina. The money only started rolling in when my parents, aka _Jeremy _and _Pamela_, inherited the family fortune while I was twelve."

"Whoa, wait...your parents are Jeremy and Pamela? The ones that paid for our plane tickets here?" Kwan asked amazed.

"Yep," Sam answered simply.

"Wha...wait," Dash shook his head to clear his mind, "H-How much did your parents inherit?"

"Hmm...I think one-hundred million or something like that?" Sam replied nonchalantly.

All of them, except Sam, had their eyes wide and mouths dropped at that bombshell.

"Whoa...Sam, that...that's like...that's like a _very_ _immense_ amount!" Valerie told her stunned.

Sam shrugged, "Yeah, it certainly sounds like it, doesn't it? Even though we just surpassed five-hundred million this year."

"WHAT!?" Paulina screeched, "_Over_ _**half**__ to a __**BILLION**__ DOLLARS_!?"

"Uh, question...how did you and your family get so, um...loaded, Sam?" Star asked her curiously.

"Oh, well, my great grandfather invented the machine that twirls cellophane on toothpicks. Thus, it became part of the cellophane industry." Sam explained.

"...Wow," Kwan said, a little impressed, "The things you can make money off of nowadays."

Sam chuckled, "Yeah, it's pretty simple, but also really profitable."

"Wow, Sam. I had no idea," Star said in awe.

"Well...you all weren't _really_ _supposed_ to know, honestly," Sam mumbled out loud.

Star and Kwan, however, made out that murmur. When they heard what she said, their expressions were somber, instantly feeling ashamed of themselves. They treated Sam and the other kids during their freshman year like dirt, being caught up in the popular A-list crowd. Honestly, it wasn't their proudest moments for the two teens.

"_Oh __**really**__?_" Paulina said a little venomously, apparently hearing Sam's mumble, "Well then, what changed your mind on telling us _now_, _**huh**__?_ Is it because we all finished high school? Was that your _time_ to tell us? Did you just want to flaunt your wealth around so you can tell us how _rich _you are? Were you trying to prove a _point?_ Rubbing it in our _faces?_ Making us feel like _garbage _under those _**stupid**_ _goth army boots of_ _**yours**__!?_" she ranted.

Sam blinked and scowled at the Latina, "Chill, will ya? This was all my parents' idea. They wanted to set this little get-together up for me so I can make _new_ friends."

"Oh, um, actually, heh, does Danny and Tucker know?" Star shakily deciding to ask suddenly, uncomfortable from all the tension that's going on with Paulina and Sam.

"Uh, y-yeah, they, uh, they know," Val answered for her uneasily, also not liking what's transpiring between the Latina and Goth.

"_Oh_, well, isn't _that** nice**_! You let your little _boy toys_ in on your secret!?" Paulina hollered out at Sam.

Sam frowned at Paulina's word usage and glared at her, "_Hey_, first of all, don't you _**dare** _call Danny and Tucker that! They're my friends, and I would _never_ treat them any differently than how you would treat a guy! Secondly, what's your problem!? It's not like you're any different yourself, Little Miss _**Shallow**_!"

"Tch! Whatever! I bet those boobs of yours aren't even real. I mean, you eat vegetables, how can you _possibly _gain anything and have a chest like _that_," Paulina sneered.

"Oh, _real_ classy there, Paulina," Sam rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her nicely-sized chest, "Like I'm that _starved_ for attention, unlike _you_. And ever heard of a thing called _genetics_!?"

"Well, at least I can attract guys without any freakish mutation growing out of my chest!"

"Oh, _come_ _on_! They're not as big as Valerie's!"

"Hey!" Valerie exclaimed, covering her own equally big chest with a self-conscious flush.

"Uh, sorry, no offense, Val," Sam said quickly to her with an awkward smile.

Valerie pursed her lips in embarrassment as she glanced down, "...None taken."

Sam nodded a little sheepishly, until she turned back to Paulina with a glare, "Besides, I don't need looks to get a guy, I have a personality!" Sam countered.

"Oh _please_, that's what a girl like _you_ would say," Paulina scoffed.

"Uh, girls? Um, maybe we should, like, not do this in public?" prompt a nervous Star.

"Yeah, I mean, people are kind of looking at us?" Kwan said to try to diffuse the situation as well.

However, they were ignored.

"Why are you so mad all of a sudden? What, is karma deciding to bite your fat ass back? Or better yet, _slap_ your ass back like Lester did?" Sam slyly smirked at the reference she made.

"OH, THAT'S _IT_!" Paulina was about to lunge at Sam until Dash and Kwan grappled her arms to keep her from doing so. The Latina growled, trying to break free of their holds, "Let me at her! LET ME _AT_ _HER_!"

"Paulina, calm down!" Kwan urged her.

"Yeah, chill! Although seeing a cat-fight would be awesome right now, we can't do it here in the lobby!" Dash says.

Kwan just looked at his friend with a 'really?' look while he struggled to contain Paulina.

"What?" Dash asked Kwan as he restrained the Hispanic girl.

Sam groaned, "You know, I was just going to get some green tea in the hotel's convenience store, but I think I overstayed my welcome here."

"Why don't you _**BUY **_the whole green tea company and the convenience store with it, you _GOTH **FREAK**_!?" Paulina shrilled.

"Ugh, whatever," Sam rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Well, see you guys around. Bye Val, Star, Kwan," she said, as she turned around to go to the elevators.

"Hey, what about me?" Dash said, looking almost a little offended.

Sam turned to look at Dash with a raised brow after she pushed the 'up' button on the elevator, "...Uh, no offense, but I don't like you."

The 'ding' on the elevator sounded and the doors opened for her to enter inside it. The elevator doors closed with her in it as it went up to another floor.

Valerie and Star were both silent as they glanced at each other and looked back at the elevator that Sam went into, while Dash and Kwan lessened their grips on the Hispanic girl, as she harshly threw her arms to be freed.

Paulina huffed a bit, and then emitted a deep growl, curling her hands into fists, and throwing them down in the air multiple times while sprouting out unintelligible grunts as she stomps on the ground. The people in the lobby all looked at the scene and decided to stay a little bit away from the girl's exasperated fit.

Valerie and Star looked back at Paulina with worried gazes.

"Uh...Paulina?" Star said in a nervous tone, "Are you...gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, um...you're not gonna try to murder Sam during the whole trip, are you?" Valerie asked, a little anxious on what her answer would be.

After one final stomp, Paulina took a deep breath and a guttural growl while her eyes closed. Once she was done, she opened them and looked back at the two girls, answering Valerie's question, "I'll _**try**_ to _contain _myself. As of now, I'm going to my room. I just _need_ the _**silence **_right now."

And with that, she stomped her way to the opposite side of the elevators and punched the 'up' button, waiting for her elevator to arrive.

The rest of the four teenagers just looked at Paulina, some with worry and some with interest.

"Wow...I wonder what happened between Sam and Paulina to make them get so...hostile?" Valerie asked anybody, but mostly to herself, in curiosity.

"I'll tell you one thing, we definitely would've treated Sam differently if we found that out _way _earlier," Star muttered.

"Yeah..." Kwan said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I really don't blame her for keeping it a secret though. We were pretty shallow and snooty back then."

"Yeah..." Star looked down at the floor in shame with a hand on her arm, "...I guess this is kind of like karma getting back at us, huh?"

"Hey, Sam doesn't think anything bad about you two anymore. She doesn't think anything bad about me either, so it's all good," Valerie reassured them.

Dash scoffed, "Oh, but she thinks _bad_ about _me. _Like, okay, I was a jerk. I get that. But it's not like she has to hold a grudge against me. She never talks to me or anything! Tch! Whatever." he folded his arms with a frown on his face.

Val, Star, and Kwan looked at Dash peculiarly.

Dash noticed the looks that were on their faces and raised a brow at them, "What?"

"...Do...you want her to?" Star asked Dash, looking a little intrigued.

The jock blinked. "What? No! Of course not! I mean, s-she's weird! A-And she's a Goth! I mean, I admit she's kind of hot now, but that's, like, the only compliment I'm gonna give her!" Dash's eyes widened in shock at what he said, "I mean...that doesn't mean I like her, I just-I mean, what I mean by-I mean, I..." he sees the three teens look at him oddly, "...Stop looking at me like that!" he exclaimed.

"Uh, Dash? I think you need to go to our room and lay down." Kwan advised him calmly.

While Dash argues with Kwan and Star, Valerie looked at Paulina as the Latina entered her elevator.

"...This just got interesting," Val murmured.

* * *

_Meanwhile, back at Danny and Tucker's room..._

_**8:00 PM**_

* * *

"Aaah...this is the life, you know?" Tucker said blissfully as relaxed on the bed in his clothes.

While Tucker was lying on his bed, Danny was sitting on his bed still in his clothes, watching the television.

"Yeah," Danny said with a smile, "And better yet, we don't have to go to that expedition with Mom, Dad, and Skipper. We're free to do anything we want tomorrow!"

"Oh _yeah_. No weirdness for these two guys," Tucker agreed with a smirk, pointing a thumb at himself, "Which, by the way, you sure you don't want to go to that Bermuda Triangle gig? Isn't that area kind of, like, infamous for weird happenings and whatnot? From the way Skipper was talking about ghost ships, maybe you can keep watch for anything that looks ghostly?"

Danny chuckled lightly, "If you're worried about my parents and Skipper out there, then don't be, Tuck. They'll be fine. Mom and Dad had packed every weapon that's ghost-related to take down any ghost ship or ghost pirate that tries to scrounge them up for loot or gold," Danny assured him.

Tucker shrugged, "Okay dude. I won't worry about it. Although, they could be going into uncharted territory with this Triangle business."

"Tuck, I'm certain the Bermuda Triangle is just a vast area of ocean that has some weird ghostly activity around it. And my parents deal with ghosts all the time, so I'm really certain they'll be fine with or without Phantom. Besides, the boat is kind of small, so I won't be able to find any hiding places that are believable enough," Danny told Tucker.

"Okay then. But know that the Bermuda Triangle is much more than just ghostly activity. Some say that the Triangle is a realm of itself, a portal to both the inter-dimensional and the supernatural."

"Tuck, are you trying to get rid of me so you'll have a chance with the girls here in the Bahamas?"

"Hey now, I'm just spreading facts."

Danny rolled his eyes, "Tucker, those are crazy conspiracy theories. I doubt that area in the sea is like an entrance to another dimension or that it can break the space-time continuum."

"Hey, you been in a _zone _full of ghosts, as well as ghost portals," Tucker argued.

"And I said that I believe the Bermuda Triangle is a ghostly hot spot, which I think that's all it ever is."

Now Tucker rolled his eyes, "Okay, Mr. Know-It-All, what happened to Amelia Earhart while she was flying through that area?"

"Eh, still a mystery."

"...Really? Come on, Danny, you believe in ghosts and space-science stuff, but you don't believe in stuff like this? What next, you don't believe there's a Heaven and Hell?"

"Of course there is. Some spirits have to go somewhere to spend eternity."

"...That's almost a little harsh if you're saying that some people are destined to go to Hell."

"Look, either way, the spirit stuff I do believe in, as well as the...'kind of' science stuff behind it. Heck, even the cosmos have somewhat of a spiritual plane to it. But this Bermuda Triangle business is just...well, I guess it just doesn't interest me. I would think it's a hot spot where weather patterns fluctuate and build up in due time, thus creating huge storms or something, causing whoever to fly or sail there to disappear because they're in the middle of such strong winds, thus destroying everything in its path. The concept of the Bermuda Triangle being something like a dimension is just..._way_ too out there for me."

Tucker just laid there for a moment, until he shrugged again, "Well, some things you can't always explain. Isn't that like the Universe?"

Danny hummed thoughtfully. "...In a way."

Soon, their phones vibrated next to each other.

"Hm?" Danny picked up his phone and saw that it was a text from Sam. Tucker looked at his phone screen and saw it belong to Sam too.

_Sam: Uuuugh...so, good news and bad news. Which one do you guys want to hear? _

Danny and Tucker glanced at each other in question. They texted back.

* * *

_Danny: Uuuh...the bad news?_

_Tucker: What's up, Sam?_

_Sam: Well...my parents apparently invited NOT ONLY some A-listers, but guess what?_

_Danny: ...What?_

_Tucker: If this is going where I think it's going..._

_Sam: Well, if you're psychic, Tuck, then I'm just going to straight out say it: Paulina and Dash are here, as well as Star, Kwan, and Valerie._

_Tucker: WHOA! Are you serious? I was just kidding around!_

_Danny: What!? The whole A-list gang is there? And Valerie?_

_Sam: Yep, believe it or not._

_Danny: Holy moly. What are the odds!?_

_Tucker: What's Star wearing?_

_Danny: …_

_Sam: …_

_Tucker: ...Too creepy?_

_Sam: I'm going to let you think on that._

_Danny: Anyways, what happened?_

_Sam: Oh, I was just getting some cold green tea in the convenience store near the lobby at my hotel, and I heard my name from Valerie._

_Danny: How is Val, btw?_

_Sam: If you really must know, she's doing good, Romeo._

_Danny: Whoa, hey, I'm just being a friend._

_Sam: Hm...well, anyway, she and the rest of the A-list gang were in the lobby. She came up to me, and then Star came up as well. Then...I told them that I was rich._

_Danny: YOU DID!?_

_Tucker: WHAT?!_

_Sam: Hey, I can't hide it at this point. I just told them what my family does, who the people were that booked their flight(my parents), and that I was loaded._

_Danny: Wow. Dang Sam, how did they take it?_

_Tucker: Heh, I bet Dash, Kwan, and Paulina were shocked._

_Sam: Oooh-ho-hooo. That was the good news. Dash and Kwan were shocked, and so was Star, but Paulina went BERSERK._

_Danny: Uh-oh. So, on a scale of one to ten, how much did she make a scene?_

_Sam: Haha! Dude, she was freaking out! Then she tried to get to me by thinking I wanted to tell them that I was rich so I can rub it in their faces. I mean, she even had the gall to say my chest wasn't real. How pathetic is that?_

…

…

…

_Sam: Hello?_

_Danny: Uh, sorry, I was just sitting here._

_Tucker: Yeah, me too. _

_Sam: ...Come on you perverts, stop thinking what you're thinking._

_Danny: Hey, I wasn't!_

_Tucker: Me neither!_

_Sam: Suuuure... e_e_

_Danny: Uh, so, anyway, Paulina basically went crazy on you in the lobby?_

_Sam: LOL! Man, she was UPSET! She snapped when I mentioned Lester slapping her butt as karma for all the time she did to me! _

_Tucker: Oooh, did she know that was you?_

_Sam: Pretty much now._

_Tucker: LOL! Man, Lester became a man that day!_

_Sam: Haha! Lester was kind of eyeballing me as well. He was drunk, but I have to hand it to him, he can actually pick up some confidence when he's plastered! I told him that Paulina was 'so into him and his dance moves' and he just swaggered over there! XD_

_Tucker: Yeah, he owned it alright._

_Sam: LOL. I couldn't contain myself from laughing at her! She looked so humiliated, it was instant justice!_

_Danny: Sam, don't talk about that anymore._

_Sam: ...?_

_Danny: Sorry. It's just...you don't know what she might be going through._

_Sam: ...Uh, okay?_

_Tucker: Uh...but yeah, what, um...happened?_

_Sam: Well, she went crazy, Dash and Kwan held her back, and I basically let her blew off some steam while I went to my room._

_Tucker: Huh. Looks like you're going to have some play-dates tomorrow._

_Sam: It looks like it. Kwan, Star, and even Val I'm really okay with. Paulina AND Dash...oof. I'm gonna have to put up with during this cruise thing tomorrow._

_Danny: Cruise thing?_

_Sam: Yeah. Basically, my folks just hired a yacht driver to accompany me, Val, Star, Kwan, Dash, and Paulina to let us sail through the Bahamas._

_Tucker: Yikes. They're going all out on this, huh? Although, I would love to be there and talk to Star...if Kwan wasn't there. X(_

_Danny: Well, dang Sam, I wish we could somehow make your time more bearable on that cruise. I mean, at least you get to talk to Valerie._

_Sam: Oh, I'm really okay with Star and Kwan. I mean I hung out with the latter once, and Star is decent enough. And yeah, Val's cool...hey, I have an idea! :D_

_Tucker: Should we be scared? D:_

_Sam: LOL, naw! How about you guys come over to the cruise?_

_Danny: You want us to come over?_

_Tucker: Won't that complicate things with the captain and your parents knowing we're here?_

_Sam: Hey, I can pay the guy to not say anything. It's all good. ;)_

_Danny: Well..._

_Sam: Aw, come on, Danny! I NEED some FUN! I don't want to suffer through Dash being a bonehead, Paulina being herself, and all the awkward conversations I could have on this cruise!_

_Tucker: Hey, if I get to hang out with Star, then I'm sold._

_Danny: ...Ah, what the heck, sure. It could be kind of fun, no matter how much Dash can be a jerk. Plus, Val and you will be there. It'll be a better outing than what my Mom and Dad are going to be on tomorrow._

_Sam: The whole Bermuda Triangle thing?_

_Danny: Yep._

_Tucker: Quick question, Sam, do you think the Triangle is some sort of portal to a dimensional plane or something?_

_Sam: LOL, wut?_

_Danny: Ignore him._

_Sam: That's what I usually do. ;)_

_Tucker: You guys are mean. XP_

_Sam: LOL. But really, thanks SO much, guys. I really appreciate you coming to my rescue. :)_

_Danny: Lol, hey, no prob, Sam._

_Tucker: Yeah! Just pay the guy some big bucks or something when you bribe him._

_Sam: Will do. XD_

_Danny: So what time is the cruise? _

_Sam: I think...1:00 PM-ish? It's right after lunch._

_Danny: Cool. Well, never worry, Sam! My assailant and I will come and rescue thy damsel from the evil clutches of BOREDOM. _

_Sam: LOL! Wow, Danny, you're such a dork._

_Danny: WELL, EXCUUUUUUSE ME!_

_Sam: XD_

_Tucker: Okay, enough flirting you guys. Danny and I will be there tomorrow in the afternoon, Sam! ;)_

_Sam: XP I'll be counting on it!_

_Danny: LOL, see ya later, Sam!_

_Tucker: See ya, Sammy!_

_Sam: Haha! See you guys later! Bye!_

* * *

And with that, Danny and Tucker put away their phones. The latter laid back down on the bed, while the former got up from his seat on his bed and came up to their open window that overlooked the sea. Once he came close to the window, he looked outside of it.

Nothing but water for miles and miles, as well as islands in the distance in the black night. The moon and the stars' luminous light radiated on the waters, the ocean basking in their ethereal glow. It looked like a picture-perfect scene, straight from a postcard. It almost looked otherworldly in a way.

The beauty of the heavens shining onto the sea...

"Hey, Danny?"

Danny turned to Tucker, "Yeah, Tuck?"

"Why did you cut off Sam while she was roasting Paulina?" Tucker asked while on his bed with a raised eyebrow.

"...Um...well, she's still a person too, you know, and...school life can be a little screwy at times," Danny answered, letting that be his reasoning.

Tucker kept looking at him, studying him for a moment, until he shrugged, "Eh, okay. I get what you're saying. I just thought you were like, into Paulina again or something."

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that," He shook his head to confirm it, "I just feel she's kind of like us in some way."

"...Like...us?" Tucker asked puzzled.

"Well, yeah. I mean, granted, she was shallow, but...you know, she had to be like _us_ at one point."

"...Man, you're going _way_ _too_ _deep _into this, dude."

Danny rolled his eyes and sighed, "How about we just switch topics, okay Tuck?"

Tucker shrugged again, "Alright, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, what are you gonna do here at this moment?"

"Eh, look on my phone, watch a little bit of TV, and go to bed. What are you gonna do?"

"Hmm...it's not late or anything, but I was thinking of getting some air at the moment. Preferably at the beach."

"Oh...you okay?"

"Huh?" Danny blinked, "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you usually go outside to think about some stuff that bothers you."

Raising a brow, Danny said, "I just thought it would be a nice night out to take a stroll on the beach.

Tucker looked at their digital alarm clock that said _8:45 PM_.

"Hey, it's my first time here in the Bahamas, and it's just a two-minute walk from there to the hotel, so I thought 'why not'?" Danny further explained.

Tucker looked back at Danny, "...Okay then. Just don't stay up too late. We gotta help Sam out on that cruise, and_ I _want to make a good impression on Star when we get there."

Danny rolled his eyes, "Yes, _Mom. _I'll be back around nine, don't worry," he said in a dull and sarcastic tone.

And with that, he went intangible and flew through the open window to the night outside.

The tech geek just watched him disappear, seeing the sudden wind blow through the curtains, indicating that Danny was outside now.

"...Or, you could just _walk_ there," Tucker muttered as he shook his head and laid back on his bed as he held his phone in front of him, "Well, either way, it's just you and me, Phone!" he said happily with a grin, "Man, you really _are_ my new best friend..." he then whispered to it, "Don't tell Danny...or my PDA," he paused for a second while looking at it until he snickered. He then went back to fiddling with his phone.

* * *

Once Danny landed on the beach shoreline, he went tangibly solid once more. Thankfully, no one was on the beach at that time to witness it.

Danny took a whiff of the fresh saltwater air that wafted through his nose.

He began walking alongside the shore, the ocean water rising up as it sinks back down into the sea.

All was peaceful and quiet...the sound of waves casually going back and forth, a thrill in his ears.

After three minutes of walking straight alongside the shoreline, he stopped.

He turned his gaze at the night sea that stretches out in the distance. The moon full, the stars twinkling brightly. The night sky pitch black. The light of the stars and moon shining bright on the water's surface...

It was beautiful.

Danny closed his eyes took a deep breath...and sighed.

He listened to the waves...

...The soothing sounds of the water calmed him.

...It was then Danny decided to hum a song that seemed appropriate.

_Somewhere...beyond the sea..._

_Somewhere...waiting for meee..._

Danny hummed the song's tune and repeated the lyrics...

_Somewhere...beyond the seaaa..._

_Somewhere...waiting for meee..._

Danny hummed some more...

. . . . . .

. . . . . .

. . . . . .

**I'M WAITING FOR YOU.**

Danny's eyes shot open in an instant with a slight gasp.

...He stood there frozen.

...He felt cold.

...He could see the puff of his breath.

…And then...just like that, the cold sensation was gone.

Danny stood there in the night, alone on the beach...looking onto the moonlit sea.

...It was calm. Quiet. Silent, even...

He heard nothing...not even the waves.

...Until the waves roared up the shoreline again.

It was...troubling, to say at the least...

"...I...think I need to head back..." Danny said to himself slowly.

He stood there, not moving...it was then he went intangible and flew up and back to his room at the hotel.

...The beach became quiet again.

* * *

Tucker was web surfing on his phone, enjoying the peace and quiet, until...

_WHOOSH!_

"Uh, hey Tuck."

"Gah!" Tucker exclaimed, tossing his phone up a bit before catching it in his hands.

Danny was inside their room and stood a little bit away from their window. The dark-haired boy blinked at his friend.

Tucker turned to Danny with a scowl. "You know, you could give me a _warning?"_

Rolling his eyes, Danny muttered, "Sorry, Tuck. Just decided to come back to the room early."

Tucker 'hmphed' until he noticed Danny's posture was a little stiff, "...Um...everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Danny looked like he was going to look back, but thought nothing of it, "I'm just tired. We've been flying all day a little bit and I just need the rest."

"Uh...okay...actually, sleep sounds pretty good right now," Tucker said with a smile, "We want to wake up bright and early to do some activities before we go see Sam, Valerie, Star, and the rest of them!"

Danny smiled, "Yeah. That sounds like a plan."

Both boys changed into their pajamas and were ready for bed, getting into their separate mattresses.

They pulled their covers on them, with Tucker taking his glasses off and laying them on the counter in-between their beds, "Night Danny."

"Night Tuck," Danny said as he reached the lamp to turn off the light. Once their room went dark, both boys got comfortable in their own beds...

Danny, while he was comfortable in his bed, however, stared up at the ceiling.

"..."

He turned to his side, his front facing the window as he looked out the night sky...

It shouldn't bother him. It was probably just a ghost ship nearby or something...

…So why did his whole being felt_...odd..._when his ghost sense went off?

_'...What was that?'_

Danny kept wondering...until he fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

…

…

...

..._**He-he-he-heeee**__..._

I've _**found **_**it.**

I've _**found...**_**him**_**.**_

...Ooooh...and it's a _**boy.**_

A half-living and half-_**dead**_ _**boy**_.

...Oooh...so _**interesting**_...

He smells _**succulent**_.

His mind...I heard something...he'll sail the sea with _**friends**_...more _**children. **_

_**Heeee-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa...**_**haaaa...**

Oh, this will be _**marvelous**_.

More _**morsels **_in my _**domain**_.

And _**children**_, even _**adolescents**_, are _**so **__**much **_**FUN** _**to **_**MESS WITH!**

**HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAA!**

**Ooooh, it will be _SO SCRUMPTIOUS!_**

**Once they _all_ enter...they'll _never leave_...**

**In due time, boys and girls...I'll be _waiting_ _for_ _you ALL_.**

**Heh-heh-heeeh...somewhere...beyond the SEA..._indeed._**

_**HAAAAA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!**_

* * *

**...And that's the chapter! ;D**

**So, yeah! You'll all have to wait until the next one for the 'cruise' to happen! Sorry! D: But in the meantime, tell me how I did with a review! :D If you also like it, please do give me a fave and a follow! I love to hear what you all have to say on how I handled the A-lister group, along with Danny, Tucker, and Sam! ^_^**

**Thank you all so much for reading this story! Until then, keep on rocking everybody! 8D**

**-TSP**


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